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Proactively Testing For STD: Why Is It Important?

Proactively Testing For STD: Why Is It Important?

Written By Vaishali Thapa - January 18, 2024
Read Time - 5 min read

Sexually transmitted diseases are more prevalent than you think. Every day, over 1 million people worldwide contract an STD!1 The high prevalence of STDs is due to the fact that most people are unaware they have the disease because its symptoms are very subtle or asymptomatic (displaying no symptoms).1

Now, you may be wondering how STDs will be diagnosed if symptoms cannot be used to detect the disease. This is when proactive testing for STD comes into play! Continue reading to find out more.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: An Overview

As previously stated, STDs are spread through sexual contact, though some of them can also be contracted through 'close and intimate contact' such as kissing.2  Sexual contact transmits 30+ bacterium, parasites, and viruses.1 Furthermore, an unborn child of a mother with STD can also contract the infection.2 

List Of Common STDs

Some commonly known STDs are Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Genital and oral herpes, HPV, Syphilis, Trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma genitalium.3 

Let's take a closer look at these STDs in the following:

Chlamydia

This STD is caused by Chlamydia trachomatis.4 As per WHO statistics, in 2020 approximately 129 million were infected with Chlamydia.1 It spreads through vaginal, anal or oral sex. However, it can also be passed down from a mother to her baby through childbirth.5 Rectal pain, discomfort, or bleeding; conjunctivitis; and a sore throat may be symptoms of Chlamydia in both men and women.6,7

Gonorrhea

Bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes Gonorrhoea. N. gonorrhoeae targets the reproductive system's mucous membrane. Furthermore, it can also infect the mucous membranes in our eyes, mouth, throat, and rectum.8 

Although it can infect anyone, Gonorrhea primarily affects young adults. It is also one of those STDs that has no symptoms, but patients may experience a burning sensation during urination or an unusual discharge in some circumstances. If a Gonorrhea infection is not treated, it can lead to major health problems with the prostate and testicles in men.9 

Meanwhile in women, prolonged Gonorrhea infection leads to PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which could  cause serious issues concerning fertility and pregnancy.9

Gential Herpes  

Genital herpes is caused by 2 genotypes of viruses called Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Like any other STD, it is also spread by practising any form of penetrative sex.10  However, an individual can also get this this infection if they come in close contact with:10

  • A herpes sore
  • Genital fluids of partner who has herpes
  • Saliva of a person who has herpes
  • Skin been exposed to the oral area of the partner who has herpes 
  • Skin in the genital area of the partner who has herpes 
  • Someone who doesn’t have any visible symptoms of herpes infection like a sore 

If people with herpes do not receive treatment, they can develop painful genital sores which can spread to the other body parts such as eyes.10 

Oral Herpes

Oral herpes, often known as cold sores or fever blisters, is caused primarily by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1).10 Oral herpes infects a person’s gums, lips and mouth.11 

When a person is first infected with the herpes simplex virus, it usually goes dormant (no sign or symptom) in the nerve tissues of the face. However, after a while, it resurfaces, causing cold sores.11 Oral herpes can be contracted if someone:11

  • Gets close and intimate with an infected person
  • Contacts an open herpes sore or an object that may have come into contact with the sore, such as a towel, toothbrush, razor, or utensils

Infections like oral herpes give you one more strong reason to proactively test for STDs!

Cold sores are one of the most common symptoms of oral herpes, but they tend to come and go.

Consequently, it is difficult to make a diagnosis based solely on appearance.

HPV

Human papillomavirus is one of the most frequent STDs worldwide.12 It is caused by about 200 different viral genotypes. HPV has more than 40 genotypes that are transmitted through sexual contact and 2 genotypes that cause skin warts. There are 14-20 high-risk HPVs that cause anal, cervical, vulvar, vaginal, and oropharyngeal cancers.16 HPV genotypes are bifurcated into two: high-risk HPVs, which gives rise to cancers and low-risk HPVs that often develop warts around mouth, genitals, throat and anus.13,17

HPV infection typically goes away on its own, and the symptoms are typically not noticeable. However, low-risk HPV genotypes can still result in plantar warts, genital warts, skin warts, and common warts.14,15

Since, only a few low-risk HPVs cause symptoms and the majority of high-risk HPVs are asymptomatic, proactively testing for STD helps in  identifying the potential cancer-causing HPV genotype.16 However, as of now, only women are tested for HPV. Men, teenagers, and women under the age of 30 are not recommended to be screened with HPV tests.12 

Syphilis

It’s caused by Treponema pallidum. An early Syphilis infection usually manifests as a single, painless sore, with swelling surrounding the lymph nodes (a small bean-like structure that is part of the human immune system) on rare occasions.18  

If an infected person somehow fails to receive treatment for early symptoms of Syphilis,it can progress to a non-itchy skin rash on the feet and hands. Syphilis symptoms can emerge and disappear on their own, much like cold sores. However, if a person has sores caused by T. pallidum their risk of contracting and spreading (if they already have it) HIV/AIDS increases during sexual contact.18

Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis, is an infection caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. If you're wondering what a protozoan is, they're parasitic (an organism that dwells on its host for food) single-celled organisms. The infection caused by this STD often causes symptoms such as odorous vaginal discharge, painful sex, vaginal itching, and a burning feeling while peeing.19

Although males rarely experience visible symptoms when afflicted with Trichomoniasis, if they do, they include itchy genitals, discharge from penis and a burning sensation on urination or after ejaculation.19

Mycoplasma Genitalium

This STD is caused by bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium and is also known as MG or Mgen.20,21 M.genitalium causes urinary tract infection and swelling of urethra.20 

In women, Mycoplasma genitalium infection can lead to inflammation of cervix, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and even preterm delivery, miscarriage.20 Meanwhile males get symptoms such as burning sensation while urinating and watery discharge from penis.22

Proactively Testing For STD

As a sexually active person (or having multiple sex partners), getting proactive testing for STD is a step closer to a healthy reproductive and sexual life! Furthermore, getting yourself periodically checked for STDs safeguards not only you but your loved ones. 

Listed below are reasons why you should consider proactively testing for STD:  

  1. As per the statistics, if you’re sexually active, your risk of having an STD is high.1
  2. Most of the STDs don't show visible signs and symptoms of STD, which is why proactively testing helps. 
  3. STDs can cause infertility in both males and females.23,24

Now, you must be under the impression that getting tested will entail having several tests performed, one for each STD, followed by a wait for the results. However, the days of having to deal with the nuisance of STD tests are long gone. You may wonder how? –LifeCell's STD testing is the answer!

LifeCell uses advanced RT-PCR technology technology to diagnose several common STDs; "STD Test - Male" checks for 7 STDs and "STD Test - Female" checks 8 STDs. Our at-home self-collection STD testing kits enable you to conduct your own sexual health testing in just one step. Simply order the kit and send us your samples! Our team of specialists will handle the rest. 

Final Note!

Folks! Here we conclude with the ‘Proactively Testing For STD: Why Is It Important?’ We hope that by this blog, we were able to answer your questions regarding STDs, its symptoms and significance of proactive testing. So, why spend any more time? Add proactive testing for STD to your “to-do list” and cross it off with LifeCell's at-home self-collection STD test kit!

References

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